Karamu House Theatre

Karamu house has the best plays. We saw the play Sistas and it was wonderful. Can't wait to visit again. Great seating and energy.

Being at the Karamu House brings me so much joy! Just knowing that so much wonderful talent started there is exciting! The remodeling to the building is absolutely gorgeous! Last week I went to see the play Called SISTAS and when I tell you it was nothing less than amazing! I also volunteered for the opening night of the film festival and what a great experience it was. My goal is to audition this upcoming season to be in one of the stage plays. The Karamu House also offers to rent spaces out for your special events! Thank you to the Karamu House and everyone that is behind the scenes making it happen!

Dear Mr. Moodie, thank you for making tap available to the Cleveland community at the Karamu House. Your contributions to the tap dance community in Northeast Ohio has enriched lives over many decades and generations in keeping tap alive. You are always on time, professional, kind and pushing us to do better. The music is always the best part. I am grateful for this older adult tap class at Karamu!

Karamu House Theatre in Cleveland holds an important place in the city’s cultural landscape, offering performances that highlight both classic works and stories rooted in African American heritage. The intimate setting creates a close connection between audience and performers, and productions are thoughtfully staged. While the building shows its age in some areas, the dedication to community, artistry, and history makes it a meaningful venue worth experiencing

This place is so incredibly beautiful., it's the very best combinayion of preserving heritage and providing modern facilities. Not to be missed

It's been years since I was at Karamu...I saw a series if plays recently and had a good time

Karamu House is it National Treasure. Everyone should get out there to support work and to support this amazing playhouse. The acting and directing stage Direction stagecraft is all top notch please don't listen opportunity to take you there.

The play was very enjoyable, and performance was better than I anticipated. #weathering

I attending an event at Karamu House hosted by Frestfest (festival) honoring hip hop legend Roxanne Shante. There was a live DJ before the chat and time to mingle. Roxanne Shante chat was intimate, honest, and transparent. Her conversation was amazing, many left the event feeling inspired, relatable, refreshed and renewed. I'm glad I was able to attend this one night only event. Please support other events at this theater!

This is my third time attending a performance at Karamu - the first two times to see "The Nativity." Both times the performances were superb! This time I had the honor of attending the play, "Rasheeda Speaking." From the moment my husband and I arrived, we were warmly greeted by a parking attendant who also directed us to the correct theatre. Once inside, all of the ushers and greeters were friendly and professional. The performance was good and our seats allowed for a great view of the stage. My only con was the seating. It was held in the Arena Theatre which is small and intimate, however the seating was folded chairs which left very little leg room. Unfortunately this created a cramped environment which left us shifting in our seats throughout the performance. But as stated, we thoroughly enjoyed the performance!

Honestly, I was positively surprised by this place. From outside, the place did not looked fancy or outstanding, the inside also may need some renovation. However, the theater, play and welcoming staff were amazing! I always like to support the local businesses and I was impressed of the play! I saw "Sassy Mammas" and it was hilarious! Please go and check it out! The actors were amazing and highly professional. I sat in front row and could see all action. I actually was wondered why this play wasn't shown in playhouse square, because the actors did excellent job. Plus, the play carried relevant topic and was relaxing and funny. Can't wait to see other plays! Good job!

Karamu House has been recently renovated and is beautiful inside. As the oldest African-American theater in the States, Karamu House puts on some great plays with powerful meanings behind them. The play "Paradise Blue" was what I saw at the theater, and it was truly incredible. Why, then, with all this praise is Karamu House not a 5? The surrounding area of the Karamu House is a rough neighborhood, so the commute to and from the theater is less than desirable; furthermore, I would not feel the most comfortable waiting around after the play or anytime at night in the area. Nonetheless, Karamu House is a great location for a play and also a great way to support an old classic in Cleveland!

I came for one reason...to pay homage to a true Cleveland legend. The late great Ruby Dee has a mural on the side of the building and it's worth seeing. It captures her beauty, class and kind spirit.

I came to town solely to see Karamu's "Black Nativity". I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I got more than that. The dancing, singing, praising all combined for a powerful show. The cast was like family, eating, singing, and dancing together after the show. I definitely want to come back next year.

The play Blues in the Night was phenomenal...directed by Reggie Kelly a must see for every theater buff... The ladies, the ladies, the ladies were all off the scale...they sang the blues like the experienced therm themselves.... You don't want to miss "Blues in the Night" Karamu Theatre, Cleveland Ohio

I recently went to see Aida at the Karamu House Performing Arts theater. It was excellent!!! All of the actors were great. Their voices were clear and had great range. My seat was four rows from the stage. I really enjoyed myself.

America's oldest African-American cultural institution is right here in Cleveland. Founded in 1915 by two Oberlin graduates, Russell and Rowena Jelliffe, Karamu house began its life on the east side as the Playhouse Settlement. The Jelliffes specifically chose to pursue a program of racial, religious, and cultural integration and inclusion and strove to provide a venue for the city's rapidly growing community of people of color. The center changed its name to Karamu, a Swahili word meaning "place of joyful gathering", in 1941. Karamu's theatre has hosted literally thousands of cultural events of all stripes--music, theatre and dance among them. Today it also hosts an early childhood development center, a cultural arts and education center, a youth theatre, and several resident theatre groups. Even as other cultural institutions in Cleveland sputtered during the dark years of the late 60's through the early 80's, Karamu remained a vibrant, if at times challenged, sparkplug in Cleveland's cultural scene, and today is a proud place for a proud city.

Amazing plays with strong messages ! Strong history & great people ! You always leave with good feeling. Good place for the youth ! I love Karamu house

This review is divided into two parts: one is about the high caliber of the recent show we saw at Karamu and one is about the facility itself which is about to enjoy some renovation. A group of us luckily went to see the great Karamu production of "Leap of Faith" over the holidays. We were so happy we did! The talent, energy and performance was electrifying. There were a number of stand-outs in the cast. The name we will remember particularly was the lead, performed by a terrific actor and singer, Robert E. Hunter. We hope to see him perform again and have to believe he is destined for Broadway! We congratulate Karamu and the cast for carrying their performances to Dec. 27th since the weekend after Christmas is often lacking in cultural happenings. As an observation, we saw a very few Caucasians other than ourselves in the audience. We hadn't been to this theater for quite awhile and we hope that other Karamu performances are deservedly supported by a diverse audience. The other comment that has to be made is about the facility itself. Happily, Karamu has received a grant for a little "redo" of the seats which are comfortable but we understood to be the original seats since Karamu was founded 100 years ago. Even though there is something to be said for being in seats which go back at least to when Sammy Davis Jr. performed there, one change is badly needed. One person in our group and one other person in the audience were in wheelchairs. The wheelchair access to the theater was fine as were the bathrooms. The only place for wheelchairs during the performance was far from ideal and needs to change during the renovation. We are looking forward to more Karamu performances and suggest people check out up-coming offerings. Cleveland has an abundance of talent in the performing arts and we hope to see more at Karamu that equal those performing in the "Leap of Faith".

This is one of Cleveland's most exquisite gems. Last nite or so, hubby and I were taken to Karamu's Black Nativity by a good friend, Flora Grant. Indeed, our eyes were riveted to the stage as the fine thespians emoted, danced eloquently, and sang their way thru Langston Hughes' decidedly brilliant work-variation of the birth of Christ. Such passion, skill, and great beauty the dancers, actors, and singers showed. Such brilliance was demonstrated by each of the principals - go see for yourselves- that we hated when the play was over. The piano player deserved special accolades for his artistry and stamina as did his accompanying musicians. Truly, the pianist was marvelous. Such drama! Thanks to all who were involved - go see for yourselves. What a night!! Thanks, Flora. Brandford and Maxine Giddings